Montage
by Stederion
Summary: Shion Akaito didn't think anything would happen if he attended an unfamiliar classmate's funeral, and he certainly didn't expect to see the deceased classmate standing among the crowd. He stupidly decided to talk to that classmate, and then... (Warning: slight BL)
1. Chapter 1: Hatsune Mikuo's funeral

A/N: It's me again! Time really flies... So here you go! My new fanfic! My fanfics are getting shorter and shorter sigh...

The whole story will be written in Akaito's point of view. Tempted to write Mikuo's sometime... later... Like, laaaterrrrr...

* * *

It's a Wednesday morning when Hiyama-sensei told the class that Hatsune Mikuo had passed away.

The whole class was shocked. No one expected that a classmate would die. It all seemed so unreal. I myself was disturbed by the fact that someone in our class would actually die. I seemed to have assumed that a teenager would be immortal. Indestructible. Alive.

Hatsune Mikuo is apparently not.

I yawned and shook my head to clear the thoughts in my mind. I tugged at the collar of my shirt, attempting to cool down.

"You okay, Akaito? If you're sleepy you can rest a bit," Kaito-nii whispered in my ear, making me jump. Kaito-nii had always been like that. He claimed that his siblings are like his lovers and should be showered with love and care.

I just thought that he's plain creepy. "I'm fine," I said. I wasn't able to sleep the night before because I kept thinking about teens and life. I didn't play games till two in the morning, no. That's ridiculous.

Okay, maybe I DID play for quite a bit...

Kaito-nii smiled and ran his fingers through my hair. "Good, then."

"You're messing up my hair," I complained half-heartedly.

"Sorry." Kaito-nii smiled and brushed my hair back into place.

"I'll do it myself." I pushed his hand away and started tidying my hair.

He sighed and looked away. "You used to be a lot more honest when you're younger..." he said in a lamenting tone.

"I AM being honest," I said, "Don't touch me."

He looked hurt, but he didn't say anything.

By then lots of pairs of eyes were looking at us. I tried to picture Kaito-nii's mind thinking, 'Maybe it's not so suitable to touch Akaito all over at a funeral after all...' Hah, serves you right!

Though, among the many pairs of eyes, I found one that sent a shiver down my spine. I was rooted on the spot as I looked right back at those eyes. It's not like I wanted to; I couldn't look away.

They were teal, like Hatsune Mikuo's.

The face registered itself in my mind, and I shivered. That can't be...! Am I looking at Hatsune Mikuo right now?! He's supposed to be dead! This is his funeral after all, so he can't be standing among the crowd! Agh he's walking towards me! I had nothing to do with you, Hatsune! Don't do this to me!

"It's kind of you to come," he said to me. His voice wasn't the ghost-like echo I expected. It sounded quite normal. Maybe he's not dead after all. Maybe it's his relative who died. Yeah. Maybe I just misunderstood.

But why on earth would Hiyama-sensei tell us about Hatsune Mikuo's relative?! And the whole class was shocked, remember? So Hatsune Mikuo's dead all right!

Why is he standing in front of me, then?!

"I... It's nothing." I tried to keep my voice low. Kaito-nii obviously didn't see him. Was it because he had his glasses on? Almost everyone at the funeral wore glasses, so maybe the glasses block them from seeing ghosts. The theory was confirmed when I saw a little girl glancing at Hatsune. The people who neither wore glasses nor seemed to notice Hatsune may be faking it or wearing contact lenses. Yeah. I don't want to believe that I'm the only one who can see him, much less believe that I'm hallucinating.

Hatsune smiled at me. I'd never seen him smiling before. He looked good.

"Who are you talking to, Akaito?" Kaito-nii asked softly beside me.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I said.

Hastune was standing right before me then. He was wearing the school uniform.

"You're dead," I told him, in case he hadn't realised it yet.

He nodded. "You're the only classmate who came to my funeral so far."

I shrugged. "I heard we're distant relatives. Don't worry, the others will show up later." Ack, why am I talking to a ghost as if it's natural to do so? He's dead, Akaito! DEAD! You don't talk to dead people! Gah...

"Akaito, are you... by any chance, talking to...?" Kaito-nii asked, interrupting the eerie conversation once again. He looked nervously around.

"Oh, yes I am. You can at least see that I'm talking, right? Stop butting in like it's no one else's business," I snapped. Hatsune somehow piqued my interest, dead as he is. What's he doing here? Why hadn't he passed on or something? He must have had a dying wish unfulfilled. As someone who can see him, it's my duty to help him pass on.

As if! I'll pass!

But I had to admit that it's exciting to talk to the dead.

Hatsune laughed softly. "I wish I had siblings like yours."

"What was that?" I said, no, whispered. "You don't wish for creepy brothers who have no qualms about touching you."

He laughed some more. Good. I'm entertaining him. I like how he laughs. Somehow his laughter reminds me of ice-cream. Maybe it's the ice-cream cart.

"You have a great brother," he said.

"Yeah, if only I'm gay." I stole a glance at Kaito-nii who was presumably trying to get an exorcist, talking to Hatsune's family like that.

Hatsune laughed again. I'll get diabetes if he laughed any further. Y'know, the ice-cream thing and all. But I think diabetes is worth the sugar intake. Ah, sweet sugar. Nothing better than sweet habaneros.

Huh? You don't eat that? Was I the only one promoting the sweet habanero business? Wow, I feel accomplished.

"Well, I'm happy that you can see me," Hatsune said, "At least I don't feel so lonely anymore."

Lonely, huh... It must be pretty terrible if no one could see you. I certainly don't want to be a ghost after I die. "Why did you become a ghost in the first place?" I asked.

"Something about not getting enough credit to die." Hatsune scratched his head. "My time wasn't up, actually. I still have two months to spend before I'm supposed to die in a robbery where I'll be shot in the head."

"How did you die then?" I asked, getting more curious by the minute.

"Hm? You didn't know?" Hatsune looked at me incredulously. "I died in an accident. A car smashed into me and sent me flying. It was... exhilarating."

How was it exhilarating! You were gonna die, idiot! "Oh..."

"Though, I know I shouldn't feel so happy about it..." Hatsune smiled sheepishly. "And I'm surprised I can open up to you this easily. Being dead has its advantages, I think? I can feel myself getting attached to you."

That... doesn't that mean...?! "Don't possess me! I... I'm not tasty at all!" I cried, then clamped my mouth shut.

"I don't mean it like that..." Hatsune said.

"... Oh." My face flared up in embarrassment.

"I'll save you, Akaito!" Kaito-nii ran up to me and tackled me.

Save?! You call that saving?! Aren't you just attacking me?! And what do you think you're doing at a funeral?! I can already see the older generation shaking their heads!

"If anyone's taking Akaito, I am the one!" Kaito-nii grabbed me protectively.

Before I could react, a purse went 'smack' on Kaito-nii's head. Mum.

"Behave yourself, Kaito," Mum said in a serious tone, "And, Akaito, don't scare your brother like that."

"Yes, Mum," Kaito-nii and I said in unison, assuming a kneeling position each.

After Mum left, Kaito-nii glanced at me. "Did you really see him?" he asked.

"... No," I answered after thinking about it.

"You scared me back there. Don't joke around at a funeral, okay?" Kaito-nii heaved a sigh of relief.

I looked to Hatsune and shrugged. Can't talk anymore.

Hatsune nodded in understanding. "Sorry."

I shook my head. It's okay.

Hatsune turned and walked away.

I felt for him. Lonely again.

* * *

A/N: First chapter done! Yay!


	2. Chapter 2: Shion Akaito's realisation

A/N: Ah, the views are encouraging. Here comes chapter two!

* * *

This is not supposed to happen.

That's my first thought when I woke up the next morning. I was in my bed, of course. With Hatsune Mikuo staring at me beside my bed.

I screamed like a little girl.

He was taken aback. "It's just me..."

"Don't follow me home!" I tried to keep my voice as low as possible.\

"I'm sorry, it's just that I don't know what to do in my remaining two months." He smiled apologetically. "Can I tag along?"

"Go travel around the world or something!"

"I don't wanna..." He pouted. He actually pouted. I felt like strangling him, but he doesn't deserve a second death.

"Okay, but don't expect me to answer when everyone's watching," I said, giving up. It's just two months, right? I guess I could bear with that.

"What happened, Akaito?" Kaito-nii burst into my room. He only had his underwear on. "Why did you scream?"

Hatsune covered his eyes with his hands at the sight.

"Nothing much. I just had a nightmare," I replied smoothly. I wish it's just a nightmare. But, no, it's not. Hatsune's really here.

"Oh, poor thing..." Kaito-nii waltzed towards me and hugged me. "Let me give you a hug. Poor Akaito, you can have the biggest bowl of cereal later."

Hatsune peeped from between his fingers and quickly covered his eyes again.

I patted Kaito-nii's back out of duty. "Yeah. I'm gonna get ready for school now, so I'd like it if you, well, get out."

"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?" he asked.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Okay..." Kaito-nii released me and walked to the door. "I'll be there for you, okay?" he said, then left the room.

"You get out too," I told Hatsune.

Hatsune didn't say anything as he walked out.

I took off my pajamas and slipped into my uniform. After splashing my face with water and running a comb through my hair, I took my bag and went downstairs.

Hatsune was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "I'll wait for you outside," he said, then walked to the front door.

Hm.

I didn't wait for Kaito-nii to get the cereal ready. I was eating some bread and cheese when Hatsune walked into the kitchen. "Uh... the door's locked," he said.

"Right." I finished up my breakfast and walked to the door. I put on my shoes and pressed my thumb on the scanner. The light above the door turned green. "Good to go," I said, holding the door open for Hatsune.

We went out and I led him to school. The journey was uneventful and silent. Hastune seemed to be very anxious about something.

We entered our classroom, and I realised why Hatsune had been so anxious. There were flowers on his desk.

I somehow forgot the graveness of death, since Hatsune's right beside me. For others, he's no more. Gone.

I took my seat and Hatsune took his. His seat is in the middle of the class while mine is at the back. We're sort of diagonally across so I could see him. He stared at the flowers for a long time before touching them gently. His head was bowed low.

Classes started. Hiyama-sensei started to take the attendance. Tension built up as he went down the list, nearing Hatsune's name.

"Gakupo." "Present."

"Hatsu-" Hatsune's shoulders jerked up a bit.

"Um, Kagamine-kun." "Here."

Hatsune's head went lower.

I really, really don't want to be a ghost after I die.

After taking attendance, Hiyama-sensei distributed the papers of the test he gave us last week. In the end, there's one left but everyone had taken theirs.

"Um..." Hiyama-sensei stared at the paper in his hand. He sighed and walked towards Hatsune's seat. He placed the paper on the desk carefully, putting some flowers on it in case it got blown away by the wind.

Hatsune touched the paper in acknowledgement.

Grades suddenly didn't matter that much anymore, did it, Hatsune?

Ah... too depressing.

Some time after, though, the tense atmosphere of the class slowly relaxed. Hatsune was forgotten quickly as Hiyama-sensei started teaching. Ah, now I really don't want to be a ghost to see this happening to me.

Time crawled, but at last school's over. Hatsune hadn't talked to me. I didn't know what to say to him, anyway.

"I'm sorry," I said on the way home.

"Don't be," Hatsune replied, "It's supposed to be that way."

"True..." I sighed.

We walked a bit more in silence until I felt someone grab me from behind. No one does that to me except for Kaito-nii.

"Akaito, why didn't you have breakfast this morning? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" Kaito-nii said from behind me.

"I ate bread and cheese for breakfast, okay? Your cereal isn't the only thing I should eat for breakfast," I defended myself.

Kaito-nii let go of me. "Good, then. I was afraid that you didn't get enough nutrients to start the day."

"Hm." I continued to head on home, with Kaito-nii and Hatsune following me. My mind was still clouded with the seriousness of Hatsune's death. It's no fun matter. Far from that. It's the scariest thing ever.

I need some sleep to lighten up my mood, I decided. I just need to sleep. Think things over. Wish Hatsune away. But I don't think he can be wished away. Sigh.

"Akaito, what happened? Why are you so moody?" Kaito-nii asked, putting an arm over my shoulders. "You can tell me everything, you know."

Yeah, right. And I have to keep Hatsune a secret from you. "Nothing much, just... yeah. Nothing much," I said, out of excuses.

"I'll make your favourite for dinner, okay? Cheer up." Kaito-nii smiled at me.

"Yeah... thanks." I smiled back at him. Food could definitely cheer me up. Yeah, maybe I just need to take a bath and eat. How could I forget that? Kaito-nii's really something.

Hatsune seemed to relax after seeing me smile. Wow, was he worried too?

Kaito-nii surprisingly saved the day. I am in awe.

* * *

A/N: What exactly is Kaito to you, Akaito? XD


	3. Chapter 3: Working it out

A/N: Ah, my exams are over few days ago but I'm still living a hectic life... Sigh.

There you go, chapter three!

* * *

I had been thinking for a while, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can see Hatsune Mikuo. The glasses theory was proven untrue. Agh, just as well. Wouldn't want the world to get more messed up than it already is, eh? Though I don't care if it gets messed up even more...

After some testing, I found out that I can touch Mikuo but other people can't. It's like as long as I'm aware of his presence, I can touch him. He also can't pass through doors he could see. Anything he knows he can touch, he'll touch. I got to this conclusion when I saw him passing through glass doors because he thought they were open.

"Okay now, Mikuo. Close your eyes and walk to me," I said. I started calling him by his given name a few days before.

Mikuo obediently closed his eyes. He didn't like my experiments at first, but then he found it interesting so he complied.

The experiment then was to test out my theory. We're standing at opposite edges of the living room with couches and tables between us.

As Mikuo walked, I watched.

He walked through couches.

My theory is officially confirmed. Mikuo's drawing a map of the living room on his own, but it's not very accurate. He believes in what his mind tells him, so the air he steered clear of might be a table to him and the couches he walked through were air in his perspective.

An idea struck me and I walked towards him.

Mikuo walked right through me. Yeah! Now that's what I call cool!

"Stop, Mikuo. You're now at the bottom of some stairs," I called out, determined to take it one step further, "Climb those stairs."

Mikuo looked surprised, but he did it anyway.

He walked in air.

"Open your eyes!" I shouted.

He did, and he screamed. He came plunging down, then stopped a few inches off the floor. He quickly stood up and turned to me. "What... what was that?!"

I smiled. "Well, it's an experiment. You did great."

Mikuo sighed and slumped down on the floor.

Heheh... now I can tell Mikuo to play tricks on people and steal stuff from the shop... NOT! I'm not that evil, okay?

"You know... I'm worried about my family," Mikuo said, "And my girlfriend."

I almost choked on nothing. "You... You had a girlfriend?!" But that's impossible! Because... uh...? That's not impossible... What was I thinking? Of course he'd have a girlfriend. He's a normal teenager after all!

"Yeah... She's as pretty as a rabbit could ever be." Mikuo smiled dreamily. Wait a minute, did he just say 'rabbit'? Does that mean his so-called 'girlfriend' is actually his pet?! Oi, Mikuo, that's not very nice, you know. I almost choked on nothing because of what you said, and now my reaction is wasted. Can you please die a second time?

"You mean... your girlfriend is your pet," I said after recovering from shock.

"Her name is Miku. Had been in the family for the last hundred years or so," Mikuo said happily, obviously ignoring me.

Do rabbits live that long? You mistook a tortoise for a rabbit, didn't you? Don't tell me... it's just a stuffed animal?! "What are you talking about?" I asked helplessly.

"My girlfriend. Duh." Mikuo gave me a disapproving look.

Don't give me that look! Did you expect me to understand the nonsense you're saying?! I sighed. "Look, Mikuo. You'd better bring me to her. Describing like this doesn't help."

"I can't. You'd fall in love with her too." Mikuo shook his head.

As if! "I promise I won't," I said firmly.

Mikuo thought for a while, then sighed. "I was lying about having a girlfriend. I'm sorry."

Hah! I knew it! Mikuo can't possibly have a girlfriend!

Uh, no, that's not right.

Agh, whatever.

"Can you take me home for a while? I promise I won't leave you alone," Mikuo said.

I'd rather you leave me alone! "Huh? Um, sure, I guess?" Actually, I don't want to walk around on holidays. But I'm bored anyway, so I said yes.

On the way to the Hatsune's residence, I suddenly thought of something. "Why didn't you go home by yourself?" I asked Mikuo.

"I did, but I can't get past the door," Mikuo answered, "So I'll have to enter and leave with you."

I wanted to ask why he sticks with me so much, but I then thought I already knew the answer. I'm the only one he could interact with so far. Losing me would probably make him feel lonely.

Mikuo's home is a big house at the corner of a street. I rang the doorbell. The screen beside the door came on almost immediately. A girl who looked just like Mikuo came on the screen. "My older sister, Miku," Mikuo said. That's a somewhat familiar name.

"I'm Shion Akaito. A distant relative, if you can recall," I announced.

"Oh, I know. You're one of the troublemakers at..." Miku paused for a while. "Well, why did you come here?"

Because your brother wanted to get in. Hah, like I'd really say that. "Well, y'know... checking up on how you're all doing... and stuff."

Miku raised an eyebrow. "You have more empathy than I expected... Come in."

The light above the door turned green. Whew, what a load of work to do just to get in!

I talked to Miku while Mikuo roamed around the house. I'd made Mikuo promise not to linger for too long because I can't possibly have much to say. I hope he'd keep his promise, or I'll have to leave without him.

The talk ended rather quickly, and Mikuo returned on time. After I left the house, Mikuo suggested that we hang out in the park for a while.

I figured he got a bit moody, so I agreed.

There weren't many people in the park. Mikuo wanted to go on a swing, but it would scare some passers-by if they saw the swing swinging by itself, so I said no.

Mikuo insisted, and I came up with a solution.

"I'll sit on the swing and you'll sit on my lap," I told him.

"That's dangerous." Mikuo frowned.

"You're dead now. It doesn't matter," I said.

So we did just that. It felt stupid and awkward, but Mikuo got what he wanted. After swinging in silence for a while, he spoke up.

"Sorry for giving you trouble. I'm just... a bit emotional today," he said.

"Mm, yeah. I understand," I said.

"Miku-nee and I used to come here to play when we were younger," Mikuo said, looking around, "It's not what it used to be anymore, though."

"Things change," I said, not sure of what to say.

"Some time back, I'd wanted to ask Miku-nee to come to this park with me, to remember old times. But I didn't get to... There's not much in here that has been there ever since we're kids, anyway." Mikuo sighed and jumped off my lap. "Thanks for the ride. It was fun."

"No problem." I stopped the swing.

"I have one month left in this world..." Mikuo said rather suddenly.

"Hm."

I was the one who suddenly felt lonely then. I'd never had a friend as close as Mikuo was. Usually my friends were for nonsense and online games, never much for real talk.

What is wrong with my life? My best friend's a freaking ghost!

* * *

A/N: Ahaha... I feel sleepy OAO


	4. Chapter 4: Dimming out

A/N: You guys are so good to me! So many views! :D Alright, fourth chapter!

* * *

I went to school with Mikuo as usual one day. It's supposed to be just another day at school, but it's not.

"A transfer student was assigned to our class this morning," Hiyama-sensei announced that morning.

My heartbeat went faster. Not in anticipation, but in dread. The new classmate will definitely take Mikuo's seat. Where will Mikuo go to then?

"Come on in, Yuma-kun." Hiyama-sensei turned to the door.

The door opened. The class went silent as the new student walked in. He faced the class with a pleasant smile and bowed. "My name is Yuma. Nice to meet you."

"Okay, Yuma-kun, why don't you say something about yourself?" Hiyama-sensei said, smiling at him.

"My interest is kendo," he said. Just like that. Nothing else.

"Well... Yuma-kun, do take a seat... there." Hiyama-sensei motioned to Mikuo's seat. Mikuo moved out of the seat and walked to me. He plopped down beside me, sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Yuma nodded and went to Mikuo's seat. He sat down.

Mikuo's seat is officially no more.

Yuma assumed Mikuo's position quickly. The holes Mikuo left were filled by him, and I had to admit that he's doing a great job. Yuma mixed in quite easily, talking to everyone to know them. I transferred schools before, and it's really hard to mix in with such a lot of new faces. Yuma, however, seemed to handle it with no problem. He's amazing.

"Yuma's really something," Mikuo said as we were on the way home.

"Yeah. I wonder how he could keep his calm like that," I agreed.

"I wish I was more like him..." Mikuo sighed.

"Say, weren't you sad that he took your place?" I asked.

"It's just a seat," Mikuo said.

"No, I mean your place in the class," I explained.

"He didn't take my place. He made his own." Mikuo looked at me as if I'm stupid. Well, maybe I am, but don't look at me like that! It hurts!

"Oh." I shrugged. "Good, then."

When we reached home, Kaito-nii was chopping veggies while talking on the phone. He seemed happy, chatting away like that. He didn't even notice me as I took the milk carton out of the fridge.

"Oh, that's wonderful! You have to come home for this, Kikaito. And bring Taito with you if you can. I haven't seen him in a while," Kaito-nii said into the phone, "You're coming right now? Wow, that's so nice of you! You've got Taito AND Nigaito with you? That's great! Akaito will be so happy to know that. Oh, I shouldn't call you while you're driving. All right, see you later! Love you, Kikaito. Bye!" Kaito-nii put down the phone.

And he finally noticed me helping myself to my second glass of milk.

"Akaito, you're home!" Kaito-nii smiled at me. "Kikaito's just come back from his studies overseas. He's bringing Tai-"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard that." I proceeded to drink my milk. Not 'my milk' as in MY milk. It's cow's milk. Agh, why did I bother to explain that anyway?! You know what I meant.

Kaito-nii was a bit upset. "It's good news, Akaito! Why don't you smile a bit? You missed them, didn't you?"

I put down the empty glass, wiping my mouth. "If you haven't remembered, I fought with Taito the other day. I don't want to see him."

"I thought you guys made up?" Kaito-nii asked, surprised.

"It's his fault so he should apologise first. So far he hasn't. I'm not apologising first. So there!" It's not a big fight, actually. Taito has a thing for weapons, and one day he poked me with an icepick. I didn't mind it until a wound formed and I started bleeding. So I shouted at him. He didn't want to admit that it's his fault so he shouted back.

Yeah. That's pretty much what happened.

Oh, wait. We did make up for that incident. How come I didn't want to see him then? Was it that time when he drank my portion of the super sweet orange juice Kaiko made? No, I remembered that he let me take one of his weapons as an apology. I chose his cat and freed it the next day.

Then what made me unwilling to see him? Oh, it must be the mood again.

"What happened this time?" Kaito-nii asked, "Something I didn't know?"

"Um, I just remembered that I simply didn't feel like seeing him." I laughed uneasily.

Kaito-nii smiled. "Then get in the mood to see him. I will not tolerate any fights today, okay?"

... His smile is scary... "Okay. I'm going upstairs," I said.

Once in my room, I sighed and flopped onto bed.

"I've seen Nigaito before," Mikuo said, "I think it was at a dinner or something. He's the little green boy, right?"

"Yeah, that's him," I answered lazily.

Mikuo then said something I didn't catch because I was drifting off to sleep. I figured sleep should help me kick up a good mood.

It didn't. I dreamed that Taito turned into a giant cat and destroyed my home by stepping on it.

"Akaito-nii! Wake up, Akaito-nii!" Nigaito's voice cut through neko Taito's growls. What, they're here already?

I opened an eye to see the green boy looking at me with his big eyes. Behind him, Kikaito-nii smiled while Taito looked away.

"H-hey..." I mumbled, sitting up on bed.

"Hurry up and get ready for dinner. We'll wait for you," Kikaito-nii said, herding Taito and Nigaito out.

"Okay..." I yawned, then took off my clothes.

"I... I'm still here, you know..." Mikuo's voice said.

I looked around and found him standing at my study desk. "You're dead, so it doesn't matter."

"It does to me!" Mikuo cried, then turned away. He should've done that earlier. Idiot.

I took a quick bath and put on some clean clothes. After that, Mikuo followed me downstairs. Nigaito was hungrily chewing something, but other than that no one touched the food.

"You're late, Akaito," Kaito-nii said, sighing. "Did you fall asleep again?"

"I was tired," I answered, taking a seat at the table.

Mikuo hesitated for a bit, then he went to the living room.

"Itadakimasu."

Kaito-nii's cooking is the best I've tasted so far. That's probably because his cooking is almost all I ever eat. Kaito-nii is very strict on my food intake and refuses to let me eat out unless there's no other choice.

"Ah, I missed Kaito-nii's cooking so much!" Kikaito-nii said, enjoying the meal, "Taito-kun, you should eat more. You don't eat this stuff every day."

Taito didn't say anything as he rolled the peas around on his plate.

I still didn't want to be around Taito, so I finished my food early and left. Kaito-nii wasn't happy, but he stopped complaining after I lied that I had extra lessons at school the next day, which was a Saturday.

I went to the living room to pick Mikuo up, but he's not there. I thought he must have gone to my room, so I went back to my room.

I found Mikuo playing with my phone on the bed.

"I'm sleeping early tonight," I told him.

"Mm."

"My phone is running out of battery."

"Mm."

I guess even after death, teenagers are still teenagers. I sighed.

Mikuo locked my phone. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away. I was bored."

"Figured as much," I said, taking off my clothes and looking for my favourite pajamas.

"I felt left out and got a bit upset," he admitted.

"You're a ghost after all." I found the pajamas and put them on. "No wonder you get left out on everything."

"That hurt!" Mikuo cried.

"Sorry." I shrugged. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. After that, I washed my face and dried it. When I went back into my room, Mikuo was sitting on the bed, seemingly in deep thought.

"Goodnight," I said, climbing into bed, "Turn off the lights for me."

"You don't realise how bored I am when everyone's asleep," Mikuo muttered.

"Why don't you try sleeping?" I buried my face in my pillow. Ah, bliss.

"I don't sleep," Mikuo said.

"That doesn't mean you CAN'T sleep," I pointed out.

"I don't think I can."

"Turn off the lights please."

"..."

Okay, so I was a bit mean to him, but seeing Taito when I don't want to always has an effect on my mood. I made a mental note to apologise the next day and went to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Akaito you meanie. Heheh.


	5. Chapter 5: Apologies

A/N: Aww the views make me so happy :D Here's chapter five!

* * *

The sky was dark when I opened my eyes. Not the night kind of dark. The cloudy kind. I yawned and was about to go back to sleep when Kaito-nii came barging in, shouting, "WAKE UP AKAITO! YOU'LL BE LATE!"

Late for what? Today's a Saturday! I turned over in my bed. Kaito-nii must have slept himself silly.

"You have extra classes today!"

Agh, so that's why... "That was an excuse to get away from Taito," I said in my 'awesome sexy sleepy voice'.

"WHAT!"

Hands pulled at my comfy blanket. I hate it when Kaito-nii plays tug-of-war with me just to wake me up, because it really wakes me up, and the item being tugged at grows a few micrometers longer. I hate those.

I tried to pull my blanket out of Kaito-nii's hands. The tug-of-war went on for some time before I let go, causing Kaito-nii to fall back on the floor.

"Akaito!"

I sat up in bed. "I'm awake," I announced.

Kaito-nii got up and threw my blanket back to me. "Don't do that, Akaito. It hurt," he said, a sad expression on his face.

"Sorry," I said. Kaito-nii's creepy, but when he's upset because of me, I'd still feel guilty. Maybe it's because we're related. If he's any other creepy man on the street, I'd kick him and feel happy about doing a bit justice in this world. Heh.

"It's going to rain soon," Kaito-nii said, looking out the window, "Are you going anywhere?"

"Nope." I got down from my bed. "I plan to play games all day."

"That's not very healthy." Kaito-nii frowned.

"Whatever." I went out and downstairs with Kaito-nii following me. I was sitting at the table for my breakfast made by Kaito-nii when I suddenly remembered that I didn't see Mikuo anywhere this morning. "Hey, did you see-" I started, then quickly stopped myself. What's wrong with me? Mikuo's supposed to be a secret!

"See what?" Kaito-nii asked, walking to the fridge, presumably getting frozen yoghurt. He loves ice-cream to bits, but ice-cream is fattening so he opted for frozen yoghurt. He eats the stuff after every meal. Geez.

"Nothing," I said, "Just remembered where I put it." I bit into the bacon roll. Ah. Meat. Just the thing to start the day.

"Okay." Kaito-nii took out his frozen yoghurt with a grin on his face.

Just then, Mikuo finally came walking in. He plopped onto the seat next to me, heaving a sigh. "Good morning," he said.

I nodded.

"I was in the living room thinking about stuff," he explained.

I nodded again.

"I'm leaving for work!" Kaito-nii announced. He's finished his froyo already?!

"Shoo," I said.

Kaito-nii put on an upset face again, then went out.

"You shouldn't treat your brother like that," Mikuo said.

I shrugged. I then remembered I should apologise to Mikuo for being mean to him the day before, so I said, "Sorry."

"Say that to your brother," Mikuo said, looking confused.

"No, I mean sorry for being rude to you yesterday," I said.

"... Oh." Mikuo nodded. "I didn't mind."

Silence. Then the sound of Kaito-nii getting out reached us.

"Do you want to go out today?" Mikuo asked.

"No. Why?" I asked, finishing the bacon roll.

"I feel like going out in this weather," he answered.

Are you serious? I glared at him. "Then go yourself."

"I want to go to the amusement park. You know, the one with the Ferris wheel and haunted houses," he said.

"Go yourself," I replied.

"I can't buy tickets," he said plainly.

Agh! "Alright, I'll go." I stood up, finishing my orange juice. "Wait while I change my clothes," I told him.

"Okay. Thank you," he said, smiling at me.

"Yeah, yeah." I walked upstairs, had the decency to consider going back to sleep, then changed my clothes. I chose a black t-shirt specially because it might rain and I didn't want my clothes to get all transparent on me when it rains.

When I finally got ready and went down, Mikuo was sitting at the front door. "Come on," he said, "The weather's not like this all day."

"Okay, okay," I said. I opened the door and let us out.

Mikuo skipped all the way to the amusement park. He even hummed a song at times. Just how excited was he to go? Hadn't he went to an amusement park before? Or maybe he hadn't been there since a long time ago...

"PIRATE SHIP!" Mikuo cried when we arrived.

Oh, the new attraction. So that's why... I laughed. I've never seen Mikuo so excited about something before. He looked so happy, like a child. I kind of felt happy for him. Maybe I was affected by his excitement.

We entered the amusement park, and Mikuo immediately ran to the Pirate Ship. I followed him as quickly as I could, because if Mikuo wants to, he could teleport from one place to another without knowing it. Lucky ghosts.

When I ran up to him, Mikuo turned to me. "It's closed," he said.

I read the sign. "Under maintenance, huh? What's to maintain about a new attraction?"

Mikuo pouted. Again. I really don't like seeing him pout. It makes me feel funny.

"Well, at least there's the Ferris wheel..." I said, trying to comfort him and stop the pouting. "Or do you want to explore the ghost house?"

"Haunted house," he corrected me. "Let's go to the haunted house."

"Monster house it is, then," I said, hoping to annoy him with my choice of words.

"Haunted house," he corrected me again.

So we went to the House of Terror. Actually I'm not very good with scary stuff, but if Mikuo is fine with it, I don't want to be a loser and back out.

Turned out Mikuo was more easily scared than I was. He kept screaming whenever something came up, to the point that I didn't care what was going to come anymore. Mikuo would scream anyway, and it's the screaming that scared me this time.

Round a bend. "Ahhh!" Three steps forward. "Ahhhh!"

I almost got a heart attack in there.

"Why did I even agree to come in the first place..." I muttered as we exited the place.

Mikuo overheard it. "I was surprised you'd agree, too. Usually you'd just shut me out."

"Consider it an atonement for what I did to you yesterday," I said. I readily believed that I was just feeling guilty and wanted to pay for what I'd done. In reality, I had no idea why I gave in to Mikuo's usual whims and fancies. He's just being annoying, as usual, but for me to actually cooperate... Something's wrong. Is he hypnotising me?

"Oh." Mikuo smiled. "Wanna go on the Ferris wheel next?"

"Sure," I said without thinking. I always say yes to sweet stuff and Ferris wheels. It's what Mum and Dad brought me up to be. Mum fed me with sweet food so often that Kaito-nii decided to take over control of my nutritional intake, while the first thing Dad used to do when I get good grades was to take me to the amusement park and get us on the Ferris wheel, and when we're at the top, Dad would say that the world in front of us will be mine someday. Both the sweet stuff and Ferris wheel trips stopped when I went to junior high, of course. But the fondness is always there.

I didn't remember getting on a Ferris wheel with a friend before. Mikuo must have been the first, and possibly the last.

So there we went, a person and a ghost sitting across each other in a carriage.

Mikuo eagerly looked outside, as if willing the thing to move faster.

I stared at the heavy clouds outside, guessing that it would rain in a few minutes. I love rain. I love getting wet in it, feeling the cold it brings, and hearing the exciting rumble of thunder that comes with it sometimes.

I then caught Mikuo looking at me. "What?" I asked.

"You look sad today," he answered.

I shrugged. We were nearing the top when it started to rain. The rain started heavy, bombarding the carriage like bullets. Mikuo was instantly frightened and came over to sit beside me.

"You okay?" I asked half-heartedly.

He nodded. "I don't deal well with storms."

"Didn't think otherwise." It was getting cold so I rubbed my hands together. Lightning flashed in the distance, and Mikuo quickly held my arm.

I was occupied with the sole fact that Mikuo was colder than the rain when the thunder sounded. Mikuo's scream came with the deafening peal.

And then we're at the top.

Mikuo was there, but not quite there either. Something triggered my mind to think that I'm all alone in this carriage. I'm the only living soul in here. There's no one else.

I shook my head to clear the thoughts, and Mikuo became real again. Rain pelted outside as I discovered that he had let go of me.

"What are you thinking?" he asked curiously.

"None of your business," I replied, the image of being alone still vivid in my mind.

"That's not nice." Mikuo frowned.

I didn't say anything as our carriage headed down.

* * *

A/N: This chapter's really long... Akaito's getting more and more talkative :DD


	6. Chapter 6: Flickering

A/N: The views continue to be really touching for me... Thank you guys! Thank you so much! :D

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I thought I heard someone cry in the middle of the night. The crying was carrying itself into my dream so I woke up to find where the crying was from. I turned on the lights in my room and found Kaito-nii crying his eyes out on the floor.

The fact that he's crying didn't bother me as much as the fact that he's crying in my room, of all places. And that he's wearing only his underwear again.

"What is it?" I asked, my 'awesome sexy sleepy voice' kicking in.

"I... I think I saw a ghost," Kaito-nii cried, looking at me with watery eyes. "Remember Hatsune Mikuo? The boy in your class who died? I think I saw him behind me when I was washing up earlier."

What was Mikuo doing in Kaito-nii's bathroom? I yawned. "You think you saw him. You THINK. You must be too tired. You should sleep."

"Akaito, please! I swear it's him! I can't sleep alone tonight!" Kaito-nii shouted frantically, grabbing at me. "He'll be after me!"

"And why do you think he's so interested to go after you?" I gave up on sleeping then because I was fully awake. I noticed Mikuo standing behind Kaito-nii, a curious look on his face. Huh.

"Because I saw him getting hit by that car, but I didn't help."

Mikuo and I stared at Kaito-nii in surprise. Mikuo himself didn't know that, see? So he's not hating on Kaito-nii or anything.

But how could I tell him that while keeping Mikuo a secret? It's impossible.

"I witnessed the accident myself but I didn't help... If I had called the ambulance, he'd still be alive right now..." Kaito-nii continued.

I didn't know how to solve this stupid problem. I didn't want to solve it either, had Kaito-nii not been in my room. I finally said, "Alright, we can sleep together. But just for tonight, okay?"

"Thank you!" Kaito-nii grabbed me in a hug. "Akaito, you're the best!"

Kaito-nii jumped on my bed while I went to turn off the lights. We hadn't shared a bed since young, because I hate it when he drools in his sleep. Agh, can't be helped. If I didn't offer to sleep together, he'd pester me until morning for something as stupid as that.

"Why were you in Kaito-nii's bathroom?" I whispered to Mikuo.

"I wasn't peeking at him!" Mikuo quickly denied.

Oh, wasn't I thankful to know that! Why would you peek at him anyway! I raised an eyebrow. "Go on." I let my hand rest on the switch for a while.

"There was a big spider in his bathroom and I was wondering when he'd notice it," Mikuo said. "Hey, how come he could see me?"

"Because he's partially aware of your presence. He's scared you'd go after him," I said, turning off the lights. Case closed.

"I won't go after him even if I know he didn't help me," Mikuo's voice continued in the dark as I felt my way to bed, "Because if I hadn't been dead, we wouldn't have been friends."

Yeah... I accidentally kicked Kaito-nii as I was attempting to spread out the blanket.

"Ow," he complained.

"Sorry," I said, lying down on my pillow. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

I expected nothing less than Kaito-nii being squeezed off the bed the next morning, but I was surprised to find that I was the one being pushed off my own bed.

I groaned as I sat up on the floor. My bones hurt.

Then I found Kaito-nii on the floor, too. He's still sleeping. I wondered what he was dreaming about, because he was striking a weird pose, further enhanced by his choice of clothing, which, if you remember, was almost none at all.

Mikuo came in. "I want to go out for a walk," he said.

"No," I said. I knew I had no right to order him around. I just didn't want him running around for the moment. I felt a bit of what you'd call dread when I imagined him going out and suddenly everyone could see him. Kaito-nii's incident raised the alarm, I guess. Alarm for what, you ask? Well...

Mikuo frowned. "But the weather-"

"To hell with the weather! I don't care! You're! You're not going out today!" I snapped. Mikuo was taken aback by my outburst. Heck, I was surprised too.

Mikuo bit his lip, then crossed his arms. "What's wrong with you..."

I sighed. "Sorry. I was... I dunno what I was thinking, actually. Just... please don't go out today, okay?" I knew what I was thinking. I didn't want to admit it just then. Especially not in front of Mikuo.

"Why?" he asked.

"I dunno why. Don't ask." I walked out and went downstairs. I went to the living room and turned on the television.

Oh, great! Cheesy dramas in the morning! Sometimes I watch those for the cheesy feel and then I'd think my life will never be as bad. Or cheesy.

"Why..." the heroine gasped at the sight of the hero holding a bloody knife, standing in the midst of corpses. Since when was it okay to air this kind of stuff in the morning?

"I want no one but me to set eyes on you," the hero replied calmly, a smile planted on his face.

... Why did I get a familiar feeling from this again?

"B-But... they're just my friends..."

"No! They might take you away from me." Figures. Who would leave a pretty woman in the hands of someone who kills like it's no big deal?

I changed channels, deciding that it's no drama to "out-cheese" my life.

Mikuo sat down beside me. "Hey."

"Hi," I replied, flipping through channels like my life depended on it.

"Um... I still want to go out."

I turned off the television. "Fine." I stood up and opened the door for him. "There."

Mikuo looked at me earnestly. "If you're lonely, you could just say so and I'll stay," he said.

"Who needs you!" I said, then mentally slapped myself. That's not how you deny something like that!

Mikuo shrugged. "Well, never mind... I'll be off."

I watched as he walked out, and I remembered to apologise a bit too late.

Damn you, Akaito! Why do you always mess up like this? Talking like this to Kaito-nii is okay, but you can't do that to Mikuo! Mikuo might not know you enough to know that you didn't mean it!

Why am I getting so worked up about affecting someone who's dead anyway!

I reasoned out why I didn't want Mikuo to be seen by others. Mikuo is supposed to be a secret. Secrets shouldn't get known. I'd feel uneasy if the whole world knows that Mikuo is still relatively alive and roaming around because he still has time to spare. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to know that fact either.

But of course there's this really anxious feeling when I think about the whole matter, like I'll lose him sooner than expected. Like he'll leave me alone even when he's still around.

I don't want that. No, no, no. It's rare for me to have a real friend. I don't want him leaving any sooner than possible, no.

Ah, heck... Enough of this. I shouldn't run away from the truth anymore.

I... I... Agh! Mikuo is my first love! Okay! There! I said it! Signing off! Bye!

* * *

A/N: Ahaha Akaito... XD


	7. Chapter 7: Friends

A/N: This is the second last chapter, for your information. Don't look at me like that!

* * *

It's another dreadful school day.

My first thought when I woke up was as above. I started the day with a negative thought, so I was pretty sure I'd be grumpy most of the time.

Mikuo walked through the door to come in. He's getting used to being a ghost. Just as well. He could go out whenever he wanted to, and I wouldn't find him whenever I needed him. Sigh.

"Good morning," he said, smiling.

That smile... That damned sweet smile will be the end of me sooner or later! Get a grip, Akaito! Whatever you do, don't blush or stutter or whatever! "Good morning," I said. No blushing, Akaito! Cool down!

"I'm going with you to school today," he said.

Going to school together? We hadn't done that since last week. "Oh."

"I'll wait for you outside." Mikuo had on his bittersweet (as dubbed by me) smile as he passed through the door to get to the ground floor. Lucky ghosts.

I changed into my school uniform and went down to find Kaito-nii making burgers in the kitchen. Oh yes!

"Good morning, Akaito!" Kaito-nii grinned at me.

"Good morning, Kaito-nii!" Maybe today's not so bad after all! I took my seat at the table, taking in the heavenly smell of mouth-watering meat.

"Your breakfast." Kaito-nii pushed a bowl of cereal in my direction. He seemed to be happy that I greeted him so enthusiastically.

No! I want meat! Not some stupid cereal! Although I like the milk... But I love meat more! "This? This is my breakfast?" And I thought you loved me, Kaito-nii! Don't do this to me!

"Yeah."

"Then the burgers-"

"You're taking them to school," Kaito-nii said calmly.

Ah, well, that's better. "Okay." I put a spoon of cereal into my mouth. Oh. My. Goodness. Kaito-nii added sugar into the milk! YES!

Kaito-nii finished preparing my bento and put it in my school bag. "Well, then, I'll be off to the main house to drop off some documents. Bye bye!" Kaito-nii said, giving me a squeeze from behind.

"Yeah, bye," I replied, spooning up another helping of sweet delight.

After a very satisfying breakfast, I went out the door. Mikuo was waiting at the gate. I walked up to him. "Let's go," I said.

"You look happy today," he said, following me as I headed for school.

"Is it that obvious?" I laughed. "Today's gonna be a great day."

"Really?" Mikuo caught up and walked beside me, making me feel a blush coming. "But, well... You haven't been doing your homework, have you?"

"Homework shouldn't matter. Hiyama-sensei is a kind soul," I told him.

"But he deducts a mark every time you don't hand in your work," he said.

"HE DOES?!" So that's why I get such low marks for every test! That makes perfect sense now!

"Yeah. That's the first thing he told us when we started this semester," Mikuo said, then laughed. "He repeated that to Yuma in front of the class too."

Ah, that laugh... I hadn't been able to resist it since day one... "Really? Wow, I must be deaf."

Mikuo looked at me in wonder. "For you to degrade yourself like that... That's a really cheerful mood you're in."

I laughed uneasily. "Yeah. Haha." Were my feelings for Mikuo showing? I tried to keep myself the way I always was before I realised that I like him, but I couldn't remember how I used to be... Whatever! I don't really care anyway... I think.

I took my seat once we arrived at our classroom. Mikuo told me he would walk around for a while, then off he went.

"Shion-san."

I looked to see the transfer student, Yuma standing in front of me. He had a small smile on his face. "Yeah?" I asked.

"Do you like kendo?"

Huh? "Um... I'm okay with it... I guess," I answered.

"Wonderful. That will be another name on the list." His face lit up with a wide smile. "I am recruiting members to revive the kendo club in this school. Thank you for your participation."

What. "But I never-"

"It's alright. You don't have to actually attend club activities," Yuma said, walking away, "That's all. Thank you for helping."

"... You're welcome," I said. Yuma's strange... but he's not so strange either... eh.

Mikuo didn't return to me until school was over. I was packing up when he strode in. I didn't say anything to him, waiting for us to be outside the school when I said, "Let me guess. You sneaked into the girls' changing room and stayed there."

"I did not!" Mikuo cried, indignant. "How could you accuse me of something like that! I'm not a pervert!"

I shrugged. "Don't tell me you never had those moments. Y'know, THOSE moments when you had to admit that you're definitely a pervert."

"I'm not like you," Mikuo retorted.

"Hey, take that back! I don't believe you never fantasized-"

"Well sorry for being too innocent!"

I stared at him in shock. "You... you actually never...?"

Mikuo nodded. "Never."

"That's not healthy, Mikuo," I commented. I couldn't believe people like him existed. What was he doing all the time? Studying? Playing?

"I didn't quite have time to waste on useless things like that." Mikuo frowned. "I had siblings to take care of."

"Well, what about now? Why don't you try a bit?" I grinned. "You have a lot of time now, don't you?"

"I hadn't experienced it with my body before, so I can't replicate the feeling in my current state," Mikuo said, "So it's still utterly useless."

"Hm." Probably another untested theory he made up, I thought.

"I don't have a lot of time either."

"Huh?!" I fished around in my pocket for my phone. Finding it, I took it out and read the date. There's only a week left! That's too soon... Way too soon! How am I supposed to confess my feelings for him?!

"Yeah. Won't bother you anymore." Mikuo tilted his head. "I remember that you hated my presence at first... But, hey, nothing happened, right?"

Nothing happened?! I fell in love with you! That's not 'nothing'! "Mm, yeah," I said, scratching my head. Why did I fall in love with him? He's dead, of all things. You don't fall in love with dead people... right? No?

It didn't help that I got possessive over him, but I couldn't act on it because I didn't have reason to. And on top of all that, he could pass through doors as he wished. He could leave anytime he wanted. I had zero control over him.

I was itching to keep him locked up.

Yeah, I know that's uncalled for, but I like him that much, alright?

"Now that I think of it, what's your name again?" Mikuo had on a knowing look as he spoke. He obviously knew my name, so why did he ask?

"Shion. Shion Akaito," I said.

Mikuo smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Hatsune Mikuo."

"And why are you asking for my name now? You knew it, didn't you?" I gave him a disapproving look. I wondered if something went wrong in his head... not that he had a physical one anyway.

"We didn't properly introduce ourselves, did we?" Mikuo laughed. "Just thought I'd do it for the record."

"Record? You're dead," I reminded him.

"With the same mindset, our friendship would mean nothing then," he pointed out. Man, he's really good at this.

"I didn't mean it like that... but you're probably right. Sorry." I didn't want to think that I'd been friends with nothing all along. That I fell in love with someone that's not there. It's too sad.

Mikuo shook his head. I could tell that he's affected by his own words. Or was it my words that affected him?

We reached home, me thinking about him, and Mikuo most probably thinking the same.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter will be the last... Finally, some rest...


	8. Chapter 8: Feels

A/N: Let's enjoy the final chapter together! :)

* * *

Two months felt like a long time, but actually it's quite short. Two months isn't even a quarter of one year.

I was a fool to not realise that.

"I wish I were you," I said to Mikuo, twirling my pen. It's near exams and I was studying in my room. "You don't have to study. Lucky you."

"I guess..." Mikuo was sitting beside me, reading a novel I bought for him. He kept asking me to buy it because it looked interesting. It didn't look like much to me, though.

"What's the root of 324 again?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. He put down the book and took my table calendar. He studied it for a long time until he let out a groan of complaint.

"What?" I asked.

"Tomorrow is the day I leave." Mikuo scratched his head and sighed. "I still haven't done half the things I wanted to do."

"Tomorrow? That fast?" I wasn't paying attention, but I reacted after thinking back on what he said. Tomorrow would mean... 12 midnight, right? It's 11.45 pm already! Will he be gone after 15 minutes?!

Mikuo nodded. "I really wanted to go on the Pirate Ship..."

I'm worrying about not seeing him ever again, and he's lamenting about not being able to go on the Pirate Ship?! I really don't know what to do with him.

"Ah, I haven't confessed to the person I like yet..." Mikuo sighed. "So this is what death is like..."

"You have someone you like?" I raised an eyebrow.

Mikuo nodded. "Yeah... I think. I dunno if that's love or not, though. I just really, really, really like that person..."

"That's a surprise," I said, "Who's the unfortunate girl?"

"That's not very nice." Mikuo frowned.

"Being liked by a ghost. If that's not unfortunate, tell me what is." I grinned.

"Falling in love with someone like you," Mikuo retorted.

"Hey!"

"You asked for it!"

This is definitely not the way to see a friend off... "Alright, so, what do you want to do in your remaining few minutes?" I asked, changing the topic.

Mikuo calmed down and thought.

And thought.

And thought.

"You're wasting time," I said.

11.58 pm.

"You fell asleep or what?" I prodded.

Mikuo looked at me, then shook his head.

11.59 pm.

"I'm very unfortunate," he said.

Hm? "To die young?" I asked.

"That too." He nodded.

... What? "Oh, so, what's so unfortunate for you?"

He gave me a disapproving look.

"Hey, tell me!" Ten seconds till midnight.

"Falling in love with you."

... He likes me... too?

I blinked once. Twice.

"But I really don't care now, since my time is up and all." Mikuo avoided my gaze. "I never wanted to tell you. It just... slipped."

I'm gonna take the slip too. It'll be so unfair if he did that and I didn't get to. "I like you too. Oops," I said.

12.01 am. He's still there.

AAAAHHHHHH! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! I don't know, I don't know, la la la...

Silence.

Mikuo laughed dryly. I was still reminded of ice-cream even though his laughter wasn't a happy one. "Nice joke."

I still wanted to strangle him. "Yeah, nice one."

"I'm running late," he said, "I'll be off now. Sorry for bothering you."

"Hm, yeah," I said.

"Thanks for everything."

"You're welcome."

And then he's gone. He didn't fade away. He just disappeared.

I put away my books, turned off the lights, and went to bed.

I didn't know what to feel.

Still don't.

* * *

A/N: THE END. This chapter's kinda short. Heh. Thanks for your support all along! See you again! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


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